Shell opened its latest lubricant blending plant in Asia and the largest internationally operated lubricant blending plant in Indonesia in November. Previously, Shell had imported lubricant products to Indonesia from Singapore and Malaysia. With this new lubricant blending plant, Shell is able to manufacture and supply a full range of locally produced, high-quality motor oils, transmission oils and industrial lubricants to the Indonesian market.

The lubricant blending plant is located at the Marunda Centre, north of Jakarta, and sits on 75,000 square metres of land, equivalent to 10 football fields. The lubricant blending plant is capable of producing 120,000 tonnes or 136 million litres of finished lubricants a year, enough to change the oil of more than 460,000 motorcycles or almost 90,000 cars every day.

“This plant is testament to our confidence in the strength of the lubricants market in the country. Indonesia is the largest lubricants market in Southeast Asia and is one of the growth engines for the industry in the region, alongside China and India,” said Mark Gainsborough, executive vice president of Shell Lubricants.

“This plant brings our world-class lubricant production capability to Indonesia, strengthening our global supply chain. It enables us to meet the lubricant needs of our Indonesian customers, with our high quality and premium lubricants, made at this new facility,” he added.

The lubricant blending plant will produce Shell’s leading lubricants brands like Shell Helix (passenger car motor oil), Shell Advance (motorcycle oil), Shell Rimula (heavy duty engine oil), Shell Spirax (transmission oil), as well as other industrial lubricants.

Strong growth in lubricants demand is expected from Indonesia, driven by new vehicle ownership and production, construction and industrial activity – especially in the power generation and oil and gas production sectors.  Shell is the largest international supplier of lubricants in the country.

The lubricant blending plant has world-class, automated lubricant blending, filling and packaging technology. It is equipped with a stringent quality control system that tests lubricants at all stages of production to ensure products meet the high quality specifications associated with Shell’s brands. As part of the focus on quality products, the lubricant blending plant will also have a dedicated, international standard,lubricant-testing laboratory.